Tom Bobadil is a hangover fron the LOTR being a direct children's sequel to "The Hobbit" (as is rather a lot of Book1. Barliman Butterbur, for example, would also sit more easily in "The Hobbit") rather than the follow on book that developed. Tolkein obviously thought he was important otherwise he would have gone the way of Trotter the hobbit in the rewrites.
WI: Tolkein Let Gandalf Die
- Thread starter Emperor Norton I
- Start date
In AUJ, there's a scene where Radagahst cures the hedgehog and drives away the spiders around his house by chanting a spell. I really liked the way this was done, as I felt it gave him credibility. Despite his panicky nature, he was also shown to have considerable powers. I thought this was similar to Gandalf's showing of power in FoR: "...BILBO BAGGINS! Do not take me for some conjurer of cheap tricks!..." He actually does this quite a bit in both the Hobbit and LOTR, and I thought they did this really well in the films.
These scenes hint at the wizards' true power without them having to use them more directly.
These scenes hint at the wizards' true power without them having to use them more directly.
The Hobbit - what a disappointing movie.
I am Gandalf the Grey of the Council of Eldars, servant of the secret fire, guardian of Anor, and my favorite command is, "Run!"
The fundamental problem, IMO, was that Tolkien could never make up his mind about just how powerful wizards actually were. In one scene, Gandalf is beating feet in Moria just to outrun some orcs. In another, at the gates of Minas Turith he's about to pursue the Witch King straight into the center of the enemy army. Did the 'white' promotion really bling him up that much?
The best answer, IMO, was simply not to have killed GtG in the first place. He falls, he gets up, he kicks some Balrog ass.
IMO, the character that should have died was Sam, on Mount Doom. That was the literary device to carry the story, to show why Frodo tired of the world and had to pass over the sea.
So being wounded by a morgul blade on Weathertop, fighting the effect that the ruling ring has on you knowing that if you ever give in you are Gollumv2, then a long physically crippling journey to Mt Doom including nearly being an apertif for Shelob , and to cap it all the ring is forcibly taken from you and destroyed is not enough to explain why you would jump at the chance to go to Valinor?
Martin is complaining about Tolkien bringing one character back from the dead? The same Martin who keeps resurrecting the Hound and the Mountain, Caitlin Stark, Reek/Greyjoy, etc. etc....
'resurrected' is probably the wrong word to use, as it only looked like they had died, but apparently didn't. Although I'm not sure just what's going on with Caitlin. Still, Martin hardly has room to complain about Tolkien...
Radagast in the book strikes me as somewhat of an unwittingly snooty college professor - perhaps by that comment about the Shire being an "uncouth" name - but he is also openly mocked in the book by Saruman when the White Wizard reveals his treachory to Gandalf and declares himself "Saruman of many colours".
"Radagast the Brown!" laughed Saruman, and he no longer concealed his scorn. "Radagast the Bird-tamer! Radagast the simple! Radagast the fool!"
The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring, the Council of Elrond.
The Lord of the Rings, the Fellowship of the Ring, the Council of Elrond.
What? From a character described in Tolkien canon as being unconcerned witht the affairs of Elves and Men and prefering the company of Birds and Beast. I didn't buy that charactization when I read it in the book and I think Tolkien got it wrong. A character who lives pretty much as a hermit has no cause to make a remark about the "rural-ness and remoteness" of anywhere. I think it showed Radagast lack of knowledge of the wider world, which is something I do think Tolkien got right about the character given his (limited) background, but that's about it.
Having read up on Radagast a few years back it strikes me that Tolkien didn't really like the character and didn't spare him much thought. He gets a referance here and there, plays a cameo role in the Lord of the Rings, gets a bit of backstory in the Silmarillion, and that's about it. There's little thought to what kind of person he is, what character traits he has, hell! There doesn't even seem to be any real thought to what he looks like.
John Farson
Banned
And though rural and remote, the Shire isn't really backward. They have an extensive agricultural system, with Gondor probably having the only comparable one in the known part of Middle-Earth (I don't know about Harad). They have elections, as the Mayor of Michel Delving is the only elected official there. They also have a museum and various businesses, like inns and mills. They also have lawyers and even a postal service, which seems to have been one of a kind in Middle Earth.
Viniculture in Dorwinion (per The Hobbit) for what its worth. Toy manufactories in Dale. It's just that anything in Eriador is remote and out of the normal cultural exchange routes in the 3rd Age. The Shire is an island of comfortable civilization in a sea of underpopulated wilderness.